Jordan, Syria reopen Nassib border crossing

The border crossing between Jordan and Syria opened to people and goods on Monday after being closed for three years, reopening a route that used to carry billions of dollars of trade for countries across the region, reports Reuters.

The Nassib crossing opened at 8:00 am, a border official at the Jaber checkpoint on the Jordanian side told the news agency.

Jordanian state news agency Petra reported early on Monday that Jordan and Syria had agreed to open the border to all in a change from an earlier statement that normal traffic would not be allowed until a later date.

"We are fully ready to receive passengers and transport of goods," Imad Riyalat, head of the Jaber crossing, told Reuters. "We expect the traffic to be slow now at the start, but in coming days we expect passenger movement to pick up."

The Syrian government retook the area around the border crossing in July during a Russian-backed offensive to drive rebels from their stronghold in southwest Syria.